Bowls & Containers

bowls

Substitutes: hollow-out peels of halved citrus fruit OR hollowed-out bell peppers OR hollowed out squash or melon OR wine glasses (for desserts)

copper bowl

Substitutes: ceramic bowl (drawback: beaten eggwhites won't hold their volume as long) Note: eggs beaten in aluminum bowls can turn gray

escargot shell

=snail shell

Verrine

A gmall Glass of layered food

The glass can be as small as a shot glass - savory verrines have become a pretty standard feature at elegant finger food receptions, just the way a Chinese porcelain soup spoon containing a single won ton and some broth, or a tiny bowl of cold soup like gazpacho or vichyssoise, have come to be.

The glass would be that same small size for amuse bouches as well, but somewhat larger for verrines used as a starter or, in sweet form, a dessert. But it’s definitely usually a small unstemmed glass or sometimes a small glass bowl, less frequently a miniature parfait glass.

A variation of the verrine idea for starters and desserts both is to serve two or three different little glasses together adding up to one full course-size portion. Some opt for this as much for the presentation possibilities as anything else: the glasses can be nestled into herbs and leaves and flowers, so the plate’s a real beauty.